Walk along Avenue of the Republic in Georgetown and you will come across several bridges, some beautifully designed in wrought iron; some with the British insignia, rusted and broken but still there. One thing is for sure, the beauty of these bridges goes unnoticed mainly because they are neglected one way or the other.
Continue along and you will pass the dilapidated City Hall, the Supreme Court with the statue of Queen Victoria, broken hand and all. Finally, you come to Parliament Buildings, which in itself is broken, and with a close look you’ll see the remnants of the British Coat-of-Arms under the plaque of the Guyanese Coat-of-Arms.
It was when I saw this that the penny dropped: We have robbed the British of one of their best assets, Guyana. We now inherit and sit on their remains; their foundation is what lies under our statehood, our nationhood. No matter where we turn in this country their influence is stamped on to us; our language, clothing, governance, society, laws – almost everything rests on a British foundation.
Forty-seven years ago, after years of demands and consultations we gained our political independence; removing the political influences the British had on us. And then in 1970 we cut the last tie binding us to the Kingdom; we became a republic, a complete sovereignty with a hold on our economy and executive government. If Republic Day is the celebration of our people, the Guyanese nation while Independence Day is the celebration of our statehood and sovereignty – then why is it that we are not happy with what we have accomplished together? What we have inherited as family?
The British decorated their bridges and made monuments to people who influenced their colony yet today, we do not boast of our nationality, no! We do not shake the hands of our brothers and sisters and hail their accolades. We do not invest in our own resources. We do not take care of what we have and so it will be taken from us. We will either destroy it ourselves, or it will be claimed by another; one day, one sad day.
What are you prepared to do? What are we prepared to do?
Independence Day practically ends at the last burst of fireworks at the flag raising ceremony. All we have to celebrate is a new flag – nothing more. We don’t celebrate the way we should, is it because we are not happy with the country we inherited? Whose fault is that?
Are you happy? Because I am not. I see a country digging a hole for itself. I see a people who are not willing; a people who hate themselves. I see a failing society. I don’t know whether to be angry or sad, but I am not happy. Looking back at old pictures I see Burnham and Cheddi hugging the first day the Golden Arrowhead was hoisted, would they be hugging today? Could they have seen where we would be 47 years later? If they could, would they have raised their voices for an independent Guyana?
Are we happy souls in this country? Are we pleased – take economics out of this – are we happy at what we see? The crime, the corruption, the garbage, the neglect, the broken households, the names we are given, the benches we are put to sit on and worst of all the way we look at ourselves.
If indeed we are pleased and happy and cheerful enough to celebrate Independence Day then we would not be letting our country fall to ruin in every aspect of society. Please, fix it. Fix it in such a way that when the flag is hoisted we can cry tears of joy instead of tears of grief.
